INJURED GAMECOCK SUPERSTAR WON’T RETURN TO SOUTH CAROLINA
University of South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore will enter the 2013 NFL draft, ESPN’s Joe Schad is reporting. Sources close to the star tailback have confirmed this decision to FITS.
“110 percent,” one of them told us.
Lattimore – USC’s career scoring leader – suffered a downright gruesome injury to his right knee two months ago in a game against the Tennessee Volunteers. Last month he underwent a successful surgical procedure to repair several damaged ligaments in his knee. In 2011, Lattimore suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee that also required surgery.
Because both of Lattimore’s injuries occurred mid-season, the 6-foot-1, 218-pound Duncan, S.C. native never used a medical redshirt year at USC – prompting speculation that he might sit out the 2013 season and return to the Gamecocks in 2014.
Apparently that’s not going to happen, though, as the 21-year-old is betting that a professional team will take a late round flier on him in 2013 rather than risk another injury at the college level in an effort to improve his draft position. Lattimore’s decision also means he will get to work on his rehabilitation – which is said to be progressing nicely – with NFL doctors.
Lattimore’s 2012 injury was so severe that many who saw it believed that his football career had ended. As he was being tackled from behind by Tennessee linebacker Herman Lathers, Lattimore has hit low by the helmet of Volunteers’ defensive back Eric Gordon – causing his right knee to dislocate and contort violently.
Amazingly, less than two months later Lattimore is already walking without crutches.
According to Schad, Lattimore “has a goal of jogging and catching passes at the end of March for NFL executives and plans to visit with them at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.”
In 28 games at USC, Lattimore rushed for 2,677 yards and scored a school-record 41 touchdowns. He also racked up 767 receiving yards.
If he can return from this knee injury the way he returned from last year’s injury, Lattimore should be able to compete for a starting tailback position in the NFL by the time 2014 rolls around.
As much as we hate to see him leave USC, Lattimore’s decision is the right one for him and his family – and we wish him all the best as his recovery progresses. Not only is he one of the greatest athletes in the history of the USC program, he’s been a class act on and off the field – the sort of humble “walk the walk” player that young athletes everywhere should strive to emulate.
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68 comments
That’s crazy if true.
He’ll end up crippled for life and selling trinkets/autographs like George Rogers.
Not a good move.
What would be a better move? Come back and risk further injury?
….or he can get permanently hurt in the NFL run out of contract monies and starve to death while the vultures surround him as if he has died and take what he has left….because he sure won’t have an education to fall back on!
It’s not like he was living in a shack before he went to USC. His sister graduated from there. Even if he lost his pro career, USC would hire him in a second as a graduate assistant coach while he finishes his degree.
Even without a pro career, what is going to make Marcus successful in life is his name. He will have tons of opportunities to work for employers who are USC grads.
And you know what Graduate Assistants make? A tuition reduction and about $1500/semester. Plus he’d have to pay his own tuition and expenses.
or he could end up like you in spartanburg hanging out at the park trolling for men
Marcus could be a street sweeper and have more going for him then Brad sucks cocks
Toyota Cocksucki – I don’t live in Spartanburg. How do you know where men troll for other men? Do you frequent the spot, or is that where you go to drag your old man home?
Brad sucks cock the spartanburg was for sparkle city the second post was for you. I know because my brother-in-law has defended several caught @ “the park” that im sure you would frequent if you did live up there
Toyota Cocksucki – So your brother-in-law defends the guys trolling the homo park, does he also partake in their activities? What does he get out of it, a reach around or just their phone numbers?
Great decision by a great player. He will have access to the best medical & rehabilitation care possible. His draft stock is down, but it would have been anyway after a rehab year OR a poor return (kid gets nothing).
^^^^^^^^
What he said.
Good points. Charlie Waters has said that the colleges will cripple you, all they have tied up is tuition and board, you are their “cash” cow. He went on to say that the pros have big money invested in you, and “protect’ their investment.
I wish him the best, no matter what he chooses to do. His efforts at SC have been appreciated by his team and the fans. If he goes to the NFL, though, his career may not be a long one. He is probably considering his family’s needs in his decision-making.
From what I understand, he is a good student. He should finish his education
I understand the average career of a professional football player is only 5 years and then tragically a lot fall by the wayside.
He goes pro with his knee/leg problems, he is just meat for the grinder (but what else is new professional football anyway – big college football as well).
I have no doubt that he will still get his degree — probably while rehabbing for an NFL team.
Bet the Georgia coaching staff is happy to hear this.
smart move. should i still by that $65 lattimore jersey for my son?
It really doesn’t matter what we think. This is all Marcus’ decision, and he has earned to have every Gamecock fan thank him for all he has done and sacrificed here at USC, and then wish him the best with everything moving forward. He deserves not to be second guessed. He has also earned every opposing team fans respect, admiration and best wishes as well. Not many college players have the received respect this man did and does from the whole college football world (as proven by the amount of support he got from everyone when he got hurt), and no matter what, with his character, work ethic, and drive (not to mention skill) he will succeed, hopefully on the field as a player, but in whatever his fate and faith brings him if not. I would like to say Thank You Marcus, and Good Luck.
#21!
If he thinks those SEC players hit hard, he ain’t seen nothing yet. Lattimore is a good player, but just a little too fragile for the SEC and NFL. Maybe he could play Arena Football.
Fragile? Did you see the hit he took in the UT game? Had nothing to do with him and everything to do with where he was hit.
Fragile in the fact that he never played a full season without at least one game sitting on the sidelines. He was hurt fairly often in high school too.
sour grapes still for brad sucks cock
Looks like some of our gentle readers took advantage of the 16.95 18 can packs of Busch over the weekend.
He will be making bank while the NFL doctors patch him up…the question is, who will take him and what round?
$16.95 for an 18 pack of Busch? That’s highway robbery!
Marcus is right to take the money. I feel like he will have a very short career. So take the cash, invest it wisely, do 1-3 years in the pros and then come back to SC and work in private business or take a position with the university.
He’s not going to be making “bank” at first. He’ll likely sign for no bonus and league minimum. Sure that’s more than most here make in a year, but it’s also not guaranteed he’ll make the team anywhere either.
He will probably go in the late second to third round. He will make some money. Once he proves that his leg is healed, then he will have a chance to “make bank.”
Nobody will draft him.
I wish him well in his tryouts. Or in the CFL.
Some teams have already told him that they will not let him slip past the third round.
He will be drafted, and will have a great job that pays more than “Twinkie Ho-Ho” and “SparkleCity” combined. He will eventually get a chance to show what he can do and, Lord willing, can end up with a nice second contract at a still young age and have some very nice years in the league during his prime. If not, he’ll continue being Marcus, a great human being and Gamecock legend.
Look some troll is playing the race card on something that has nothing to do with race. shocking
sorry supposed to be a reply below to the Man Dingo panther
Use him up for white folks’ amusement, do not actually educate him, then let him go pro with what’s left of his knees. Thanks, Steve!
you are an idiot.
Who’s job is it to educate players? Instructors, and the coaches who check whether or not players are going to class. When you recruit players who are academically challenged (politically correct for “fucking morons”) it shouldn’t be a surprised to see so many players with lame majors in the press guide.
You are talking out of your ass like someone “academically challenged”. You know nothing of this kids classes and grades. You know nothing about if he went to class or not. You know nothing. I bet you didn’t even get the fact I called you a fucking moron earlier. You know nothing. And no one asked you either.
whatever – You might want to move up to Extra Strength Mydol.
and you may want to quit being “academically challenged”.
more like man dingle berry
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Unfortunately you need to be more thana nice guy, stand up guy, etc. for some owner to pay him millions. I guess we will have to wait and see, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
He was going to college? Who knew?
Good luck to Marcus.
Will, you don’t understand red shirting, as it applies here.
Medical redshirts are requested and can be granted. But not after playing half a season.
He started as a freshman, so he had a “real” redshirt option open to him. You have five years to play four.
But he isn’t taking that route. Sad for us, great for him.
I wish only the best, however I feel that his stock is way down and the Pros will take advantage of that. I think he should get well and re-habbed and then make his decision. Either way, I thank him and wish the best.
Makes sense. Best of luck to Marcus!
Football is not a sport,it’s a spectacle.
Maybe he and Clowney can actually go to class now. Saw where Bama was ranked No. 1 for the APR. what a joke. They must be taking General Studies meaning you study if you feel like it.
My bad, The Game radio show had it all messed up. They have SEC on the brain.
I’m sorry, I am just jealous so I must keep putting them down as they will be more successful than I am or will ever be.
doesnt take much to be more succesful then the man who cleans up the booths at the local gloryhole
W, What is the early guess on where he may enter the draft and or is it too soon to speculate?
I’ve heard that Marcus will have enough hours to get his degree by the end of the coming spring semester- he loaded up on hours the last couple years, in case he decided to go pro next year anyway, planning for this even before the injury (the second one, at least). All indications are that there’s no way Mama would stand for him to leave school without his sheepskin. From what I hear, in that family, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. She gets a lot of the credit for the person Marcus grew up to be.
I wish him nothing but the very, very best life has to offer, whatever path he chooses. He is more than an inspiration.
Wish I could be that easily inspired;word is he’s a goddamned fucking Christian,too.Kneel.
is that your shoe size or IQ
shoe size(USA):10.5 IQ(Stanford-Binet):137
137 and you have time to be on fits? Someone with a mind like that should be changing Hawkins Bedpan!!
Shoe size– 9, IQ– 136 Damn you 9″!
Graduated college in ’90. Since then have made somewhat less than $1 million. Now, had I turned pro (not that it was an option for me….but, for the sake of argument…) in ’89 and made the average NFL salary, I would have made my $1 million by ….oh… ’93!
Now, yeah, I get that many NFL players didn’t get degrees, have short careers, end up poor etc, but so what? Do you really think that extra 20 credits to get a degree would have made that much of a difference?
Goldstein – At least you have all that Jew money to fall back on.
Sure,longnamedone,but you’d have died in some freak sex accident;count your blessings.
You failed to mention penis size,RedneckInjunJew.
As long as you’re average,I’m OK with that,unlike Judy Chop’s husband;ex,I’d assume,but maybe her receptacle’s no larger than a thimble,and all that.
Why do guys like to get intimate with something that smells like a sloppy-wet ,heavy duty ,black plastic garbage bag full of three-day old ,dead bass-cleanings(heads,guts,etc.),anyway?
Marcus has every right to go into the draft. I understand that it has always been his dream to play pro ball. He is chasing that I believe indream and I believe he will catch it. Marcus has an inside tract as to what his chances are in the draft. I believe that it would be selfish for anyone to try to stop him from that dream. The financial gains are tremendous for him. Although I believe in an education, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him. He can always come back and pick up his education. He cannot always have an opportunity to play pro football. The best of luck for success to you Marcus! Thank-you so much for all you did for gamecock football. Thank-you also for being a great role-model to our youths who so desperately need people like you to look up to in their lives. Thank-you Latt-21. Your shoes are going to be tough to fill.
Marcus has an inside tract as to what his chances are in the draft.
My gut tells me the same thing.
Ya think? I was thinking his agent told him to flip a coin.
No kidding. No one thinks he suddenly made this decision in a vacuum. He is, no doubt, receiving some solid advice from several directions.
*Sound of lowflying jet aircraft*
Some folks didn’t get tje joke……
Tonto – You’re going to have to explain this hilarious joke of yours to me.
That anyone in this job market would suggest Marcus should stay and get his degree is ridiculous. He has a chance to live his dream. How many of us can say that?
He’ll also be welcomed back to South Carolina in whatever capacity he chooses.
You never know, the world may need another Sociology degree’d person. Starbucks may open more stores.